Potters tax move a welcome last act

Even as he prepares to leave office in a few weeks, retiring Portland Mayor Tom Potter is showing appropriate leadership and sensitivity to current business conditions.

The mayor wisely asked the City Council on Wednesday to assist nearly 32,000 businesses by providing, in a single year, a tax credit that otherwise would have been spread over five years.

The credit is due the firms because the city has changed how it taxes business income - but the result of Potter's proposed acceleration is that $7.8 million in business income will be pumped back into the local economy at a critical time.